January 20, 2022 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Voting legislation that Democrats and civil rights groups argue is vital for protecting democracy has collapsed. The outcome late Wednesday in the Senate was a setback for President Joe Biden and his party after a raw, emotional debate. Democrats were unable to change Senate rules to push past a Republican filibuster. Biden has failed to persuade two holdout Democratic senators, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, to change Senate rules for this one bill. Advocates warn that new state laws are making it more difficult to vote in elections. Biden says he is disappointed but “not deterred.”
January 20, 2022 4:07 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Authorities say a 15-year-old student died at a hospital after two people fired into a van at a Pittsburgh school. Pittsburgh Public Schools said the male student was shot in the school van at dismissal time Wednesday afternoon at Oliver Citywide Academy. No arrests were immediately announced. Police say they are reviewing surveillance videos and seeking witnesses. Oliver Citywide Academy describes itself on its website as “a full-time special education center serving grades 3-12.” School officials say all other students were safe inside the building. The school was locked down for a time.
January 20, 2022 4:04 am
The Ringgold School Board met Wednesday night and on the agenda was a motion to amend their Health and Safety Plan. This follows last month’s vote by the board to require masks in the district because of rising numbers of Covid-19 in the district and in the community at large. The motion last month was a late addition to the agenda placed just before the meeting began. This month, the agenda advertised the proposed action and public comment was heated in support of bringing back the original mask optional plan. Wednesday’s motion to amend the plan read that wearing of masks would only be required if mandated. Before the vote was taken, Superintendent Randall Skrinjorich announced that the administration was in favor of keeping masks mandatory. Ultimately, the vote to make masks optional failed by a 4-5 vote. Skrinjorich indicated that the administration’s stance is that mask wearing is the best method to keep students and staff safe and keep the school buildings open. Directors and administration will develop criteria to use to roll back the mask mandate over the next month. A vote on that criteria is anticipated in the February board meeting.
January 20, 2022 2:36 am
(WPXI) – The I-79 North on-ramp in South Fayette coming from Bridgeville was temporarily closed Wednesday afternoon due to a “public safety issue,” according to officials. That incident turned out to be the body of a man found alongside the roadway. Investigators said multiple 911 calls were placed by people passing by saying they could see a man’s body slumped over the guardrail just before the highway entrance. Police said the man was dead by the time they arrived. Authorities say the man was 69 years old, but his identity is not being released yet. Officials said they’re not sure how the man got there. They said he could have walked but they’re also not ruling out any vehicles being involved. Troopers said the man may have died from natural causes and there was no obvious trauma to his body.
January 19, 2022 5:37 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – At a Wednesday news conference to mark his first year in office, President Joe Biden is admitting that the pandemic has exhausted and demoralized many Americans. Yet Biden also struck a defensive tone as he acknowledged that he could get “big chunks” of his stalled economic agenda passed into law before the 2022 midterm elections. He stressed that voters would back him so long as they were informed, something he plans to do this year by traveling the country. Biden also discussed the situation with Ukraine, saying he believes Vladimir Putin doesn’t want full blown war in Ukraine and would pay a “dear price” if he moves forward with a military incursion. Biden, speaking at a news conference to mark his one-year anniversary in office, also said he believes that Russia is preparing to take action on Ukraine, though he doesn’t think Putin has made a final decision. He suggested that he would limit Russia’s access to the international banking system if it did further invade Ukraine. He said: “I’m not so sure that he is certain what is he going to do,” adding, “My guess is he will move in.” (Photo: ABC News)
January 19, 2022 2:52 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans starting next week. The step comes after federal officials emphasized the masks’ better protection against the omicron variant of COVID-19 over cloth face coverings. The White House said Wednesday the masks will come from the government’s Strategic National Stockpile, which has more than 750 million of the highly protective masks on hand. The masks will be available for pickup at pharmacies and community health centers across the country. The White House says the masks will begin shipping this week for distribution starting late next week. (Photo: AP)
January 19, 2022 11:35 am
Authorities in Greene County are investigating the cause of an early morning fire in Franklin Township that destroyed somewhat of a landmark there. According to reports, the blaze broke out just before five o’clock in the old skating rink. The building was no longer being used as a skating rink, but was housing several small businesses and apartments. There’s been no word on any injuries or how the fire started. (Photo courtesy of Randy Laskody)
January 19, 2022 4:14 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Biden administration has announced the release of $14 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers to fund 500 projects aimed at easing the supply chain problem. The spending stems largely from President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure deal. The projects include upgrades to improve shipping on the Ohio River, the Port of Long Beach in California and Norfolk Harbor in Virginia. That’s according to a White House fact sheet. U.S. ports have struggled to manage the inflow of container ships and move containers onto trucks as the economy recovered from the pandemic, prompting delays in sending goods to consumers and higher prices.
January 19, 2022 4:11 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Fred Parris, the lead singer of the 1950s harmony group the Five Satins and composer of the classic doo-wop ballad “In the Still of the Night,” has died at age 85. Released in 1956, “In the Still of the Night” only reached No. 24 on the Billboard pop charts but became a multimillion seller through reissues and appearances on compilation and soundtrack albums. It now helps define an era of harmony groups along with such favorites as the Penguins’ “Earth Angel” and the Cadillacs’ “Speedoo.” The Five Satins were elected into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003. (Photo: Facebook)
January 19, 2022 4:10 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Major international airlines have canceled flights heading to the U.S. or changed the planes they’re using. The moves Wednesday represented the latest complication in a dispute over concerns that 5G mobile phone service could interfere with aircraft technology. Carriers took widely different approaches to the brewing crisis affecting international travel, from Emirates drastically reducing its U.S.-bound flights to Air France saying it would fly as normal. It wasn’t immediately clear why the airlines made those decisions – or whether they took into account a pause in the rollout of the new high-speed wireless service near key airports. But some said they received warnings from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration or Boeing that the plane maker’s 777 was particularly affected.
